The RHS has made 756 ‘cartes de visite’ or calling cards of important horticulturists available to the public online for the first time.
The cards which date from the 19
th century and consist of early photographs of individuals were shared and traded among friends. Cards in the RHS collection, which came into the charity’s care via entomologist and former Society Director, Andrew Murray, and plant trader, Richard Dean, include nurserymen, flower growers, professional gardeners, botanists, and entomologists, many of whom are depicted nowhere else.
The collection also includes more familiar faces, such as Joseph Paxton who saved the modern banana on a Derbyshire estate, prolific plant collector Charles Darwin and the then King and Queen of Belgium.
Having identified the majority of the calling cards, the RHS is now asking for help in naming the remaining 16 so as to contribute to our understanding of the history of gardening and the role of individuals in the creation and evolution of UK gardens and green spaces.
Horticulturists who feature in the collection include:
- Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward: An English doctor and inventor of the Wardian case, an early type of terrarium that allowed plants to be sealed in and kept alive for long periods without watering. His invention transformed how plants travelled around the world and enabled many of the plants we see in our gardens today to survive the long voyage back to the UK from as far away at Australasia and South America.
- Anne Pratt: One of the best-known botanical artists of the Victorian era, Pratt became a household name with her book Wild Flowers of the Year (1852). Queen Victoria personally requested copies of all her works but she failed to achieve critical acclaim in her time.
- Sarah Backhouse: Unusually for the time, Backhouse was a prominent female daffodil breeder, and member of the RHS Daffodil Committee. Backhouse bred the first pink-cupped daffodil in collaboration with her husband Robert, who was from a prolific family of daffodil growers.
- Sir William Hooker: Botanist, plant collector, and the first Director of The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew who went on to establish it as one of the greatest botanic collections in the world.
Fiona Davison, Head of Libraries, at the RHS said: “Oftentimes we know the names and faces of big landowners or senior horticultural figures and not the individuals who have shaped our gardens and understanding of plants through their innovations and discoveries. We’re delighted to now be able to share our collection of calling cards digitally so people can help make new discoveries about the history of gardening and maybe even the history of ancestors in their own family.”
To view the collection of unidentified cartes de visite visit:
RHS Digital Collections | Browse and for the full collection visit:
RHS Digital Collections | Browse
The cartes de visite form part of a rapidly expanding digital offering from the RHS who are making their scientific and historical collections available to the public. Already the RHS has published online 92,000 dried plant specimens and 12,000 items from its heritage collections including art, photographs and objects. For more information and to search the digital offering visit:
RHS Digital Collections | Home (libnova.com)
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